# What Mount Kinabalu and Rinjani teach teams about leadership

> Low’s Peak is 4,095.2 metres. Rinjani’s summit is 3,726 metres. What a trainer who has stood on both brings back for teams on flat ground.

Canonical: https://breakit.anazhd.com/journal/what-mount-kinabalu-and-rinjani-teach-teams
Updated: 2026-10-11

Author: Azidzul Dzailrulhafiq. Published 11 October 2026. 4 minute read.

**Short answer.** Summits teach teams to pace themselves to the slowest person, to prepare before the climb starts, and to measure progress in steps rather than the summit. Azidzul has stood at Low’s Peak on Mount Kinabalu (4,095.2 m) and at the Rinjani summit (3,726 m) and uses those lessons in training.

Mount Kinabalu is Malaysia’s highest peak. The sign at Low’s Peak reads 4,095.2 metres. On Lombok, the Rinjani summit sign reads 3,726 metres. Azidzul, founder of Break It Training, has stood at both.

Trekking appears in our programs for a reason. A mountain gives a group a shared goal that cannot be faked, and it shows quickly how a team behaves when people are tired.

## Lesson 1: the group walks at the pace of its slowest member

On a long ascent, the fastest walker cannot "win". The group arrives when the group arrives. Teams at work have the same arithmetic. A project finishes at the pace of its slowest dependency, so helping the slowest person is the fastest strategy.

## Lesson 2: preparation is a team sport

Checking gear, water and weather happens before anyone leaves the trailhead. Leadership shows up in that boring planning more than on summit day.

## Lesson 3: leadership comes in many forms

A participant in one of our leadership treks put it plainly: through a simple trek with a leadership component, we learned that leadership comes in many forms. Sometimes the leader is the one who sets the pace. Sometimes it is the one who carries the snacks and notices who is quiet.

## Lesson 4: the summit is a short moment

People remember the view, but the learning happened on the way up. That is why our sessions leave time for reflection while the experience is still fresh.

## Bring it back to flat ground

- Who sets our pace, and who is carrying more than they should?
- What do we prepare before a project starts?
- How do we recognise leadership that is not loud?